{From the Front Porch // Slow Down, You’re Still in a Blessing}

Written on 7/23/2025

Today I was headed into town and, sure enough, got stuck behind a line of tractors moving at the speed of absolutely nothing. My first reaction? Frustration. I glanced at the clock, sighed a little too loudly, and thought about how much I needed to get done. But then God whispered, “Remember when this used to bring you joy?”

Eighteen years ago, when we first moved out here, getting stuck behind a tractor felt like a gift. It meant we had finally made it to a place where the pace of life was slower and simpler. Where tractors were more common than traffic lights. I used to smile and think, “This is my kind of traffic.” But here I am, nearly two decades later, letting the hustle of the world creep into my heart.

How did I let that happen?

The world teaches us that faster is better. That busy equals productive, and that rushing somehow means we’re doing something right. But if we’re not careful, that mindset can sneak right into our quiet country life and steal the joy we once held so dear.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” But not everything has to be rushed. Not every season needs a deadline. Sometimes, the slow road is the most sacred one.

So today, I’m asking the Lord to help me slow down again. To trade my sighs for gratitude. To remember that being stuck behind a tractor is still part of the blessing. To let peace be the pace and joy be the journey.

Maybe you need that reminder, too.

Let’s be a people who find God in the in-between. Who look for Him not just in the answered prayers or mountaintop moments, but in the quiet, in the delays, even in tractor traffic on a Wednesday evening.

Prayer:

Lord, slow me down. Remind me that the pace of this world isn’t always the pace of Your will. Help me not to rush through blessings or miss joy because I’m too focused on what’s next. Thank You for every delay that brings me back to You. Amen.